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Gillingham Ladies v West Ham Ladies

West Ham United Ladies General Manager Karen Ray says the team put in a dominant performance despite falling to a 1-0 defeat to Gillingham on Sunday.

The Ladies put in a convincing showing at Priestfield Stadium in their first match of the season but ultimately lost the game thanks to an 89th minute finish from Gillingham’s Kallie Balfour.

West Ham otherwise bossed the game with the Ladies holding the majority of possession and creating a number of excellent chances, but struggled to find that clinical moment in front of goal.

There is no doubt that we finish every game with a clear dominance in possession, now we have to convert the chances we are creating in the final third to goals.

Karen Ray

Ray admitted she is disappointed following the defeat but believes the Ladies can take a number of positives from the opening day loss.

“It’s very frustrating to not get something out of the game, especially when you look at the number of chances we had,” Ray said.

“There is no doubt that we finish every game with a clear dominance in possession, now we have to convert the chances we are creating in the final third to goals.

“Overall we played well, and I think the young players who came off the bench gave a very good account of themselves. They showed a real hunger for the game and their energy lifted the team.”

Amber Stobbs in particular looked lively in Sunday’s fixture, bamboozling the Gillingham defence on a number of occasions and creating goalscoring opportunities for her teammates.

West Ham’s dominance in the match failed to provide a winning result but Ray reckons losing on Sunday will only fire up the Ladies further to right those wrongs against Cardiff City in the next contest.

Ray added: “I believe we will see a reaction from the Ladies for our upcoming game against Cardiff City. Everyone was disappointed with the result yesterday but the beauty of football is how quickly we can turn that around and switch our focus.”